A Work Day at the Eco-Village in Haiti

UUSC is partnering with the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) on a joint volunteer trip to Haiti, January 21-28. In the post below, trip participant Casey Aspin shares thoughts on working at the eco-village with local members of the Papaye Peasant Movement (MPP). The UUA-...

By UUA International Resources Staff Group |1/30/2012

From the Road: Tucson

In preparation for Justice GA in Phoenix, Ariz., (June 20-24, 2012) the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) have jointly organized three Service Learning trips to the U.S.-Mexico border with our partner organization,...

By Peter Morales |1/27/2012

Hundreds of Ways to Help People Live With Dignity

UUSC is partnering with the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) on a joint volunteer trip to Haiti, January 21–28. In the post below, trip participant Casey Aspin shares thoughts on the first two days of the journey to help rebuild the community and lives of earthquake...

By UUA International Resources Staff Group |1/27/2012

We Are One: Crossing Borders as Unitarian Universalists

In preparation for Justice GA in Phoenix, Ariz., (June 20-24, 2012) the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) have jointly organized three Service Learning trips to the U.S.-Mexico border with our partner organization,...

By Eric Cherry |1/23/2012

You Gotta Have Faith: Bruce Knotts stands up for gays at the UN

By Jordan Arseneaulton Reposted from 2B Online : Unitarian Delegate to the United Nations Bruce Knotts on patience, persistence, and religious responses to the global homophobia epidemic. His Compass for Compassion coalition of faith leaders and diplomats are trying to fight the...

By UUA International Resources Staff Group |1/20/2012

Apply for the 2012 Dana Greeley Award

CARE ABOUT WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT? SPREAD YOUR MESSAGE AND COMPETE TO WIN THE 2012 GREELEY AWARD The UU-UNO invites submissions of sermons or addresses that speak to building a more just international community. The award honors the memory of Reverend Dana McLean Greeley, the first...

By UUA International Resources Staff Group |1/19/2012

Standing Shoulder to Shoulder with Partners in Haiti

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is partnering with the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) on a joint volunteer trip to Haiti, January 21. In the post below, trip participant Kara Smith of UUSC shares her thoughts on the progress made so far and on the...

By UUA International Resources Staff Group |1/18/2012

Transylvanian Unitarians Celebrate the Proclamation of the Act on Religious Freedom

Please enjoy this exciting news from the Transylvania Unitarian Church: On January 13, 2012 the Consistory of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church honors the 444th anniversary of the proclamation of the first law on freedom of belief and conscience, and religious tolerance. In...

By Eric Cherry |1/12/2012

Recommended Action! CLIMATE CHANGE

MORE WARNING SIGNALS ON CLIMATE CHANGE While governments hesitate over how to deal with the reality of global warming, the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere continues at an alarming pace. Resulting weather disruptions like more frequent droughts, floods, and violent...

By UUA International Resources Staff Group |1/3/2012

Update on LGBT Human Rights in the Political Sphere

Hillary Clinton US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a historic speech outlining LGBT rights as human rights at the UN. Presidential Memorandum The White House issued a Presidential Memo setting on LGBT rights , specifically confirming the US government’s obligation to...

By UUA International Resources Staff Group |12/19/2011

The UU-UNO Presents: Justice-Con!

Over the December 9th weekend, the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office (UU-UNO) organized and facilitated our first Youth Conference (referred to affectionately as a Youth Con). It was hosted by the First Unitarian Universalist Congregational Society in Brooklyn , New...

By UUA International Resources Staff Group |12/19/2011

Typhoon in the Philippines

This past weekend Typhoon Sendong struck the southern Philippines island of Mindinao causing the deaths of nearly 700 people with more than 800 additional people still missing. Recovery efforts are underway. The Unitarian Universalist Church of the Philippines is centered in...

By Eric Cherry |12/19/2011

A Way Forward: Reflections on Haiti

UUSC was excited to partner with the Unitarian Universalist Association on a joint volunteer trip to Haiti, December 3–10. In the post below, trip-leader-in-training Nicole McConvery of the UUA reflects on lessons learned in Haiti. Cruising down the recently paved highway...

By Nicole McConvery |12/16/2011

Sights, Sounds and Lessons from Haiti

The UU Service Committee was excited to partner with the Unitarian Universalist Association on a joint volunteer trip to Haiti, December 3–10. In the post below, written on December 9, participant George Wootton reflects on time spent working with the Papaye Peasant Movement (...

Undocumented Youth Defend Right to Higher Education

Undocumented youth in New York stood up for their equal opportunity to higher education for undocumented people in a press conference on the stair steps in front of the City Hall on December 9th, 2011. Undocumented youth arrived to New York as children and wish to give back to...

By UUA International Resources Staff Group |12/12/2011

From Despair to Hope: On the Ground in Haiti

UUSC is excited to be partnering with the Unitarian Universalist Association on a joint volunteer trip to Haiti, December 3–10. In the post below, participant Bradley Korb describes the trip from Port-au-Prince to the training center of the Papaye Peasant Movement (MPP) and the...

By Eric Cherry |12/7/2011

Reporting and Ready for Duty in Haiti: JustWorks Trip Begins Saturday

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is partnering with the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) on a joint volunteer trip to Haiti, December 3-10. In the post below, trip leaders Nicole McConvery of the UUA and Evan Seitz of the UUSC share their thoughts on...

2011 World AIDS Day: Getting to Zero

World AIDS Day December 1st The UU-UNO’s Every Child is Our Child (ECOC) Program works with children in Ghana who have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS. The ECOC provides health care and opportunities to education for these AIDS-orphaned children. On World AIDS Day we assess...

By UUA International Resources Staff Group |11/30/2011

UU-UNO Director's Monthly Report: December 2011

In my last report , you read about our history making LGBT coalition to end global homophobia. We continue to meet via phone to work for justice. Just after our October 11-12 conference at Union Theological Seminary, the UU UNO launched into one of it busiest periods of work. It...

By Bruce Knotts |11/28/2011

Meet NYSYLC and SUPPORT NY State DREAM Act!

Meet New York State Youth Leadership Council (NYSYLC) today! And sign their online petition for New York State DREAM Act to support the equal opportunity to higher education of undocumented youth in the U.S. Sign the petition here . The NYSYLC is a volunteer run organization led...

By UUA International Resources Staff Group |11/23/2011

Give Thanks & Observe International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women!

As we give thanks this Thursday, we keep in mind the privilege of security that many of us enjoy. Friday, November 25, is International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Despite progress in many parts of the world, data from the World Bank reports that women...

By UUA International Resources Staff Group |11/21/2011

A Dinner in Honor of Kathy Sreedhar at the Embassy of the United States in New Delhi

On October 31st the United States Chargé d'Affaires in New Delhi, Ambassador Peter Burleigh, held a dinner in honor of Kathy Sreedhar, Director Emerita of the UU Holdeen India Program (UUHIP). Ambassador Burleigh hosted the dinner at Roosevelt House, the historic Ambassador’s...

By Derek Mitchell |11/21/2011

Sing a Song Full of Hope: Rights of Children of African Descent

Cristina Velez, a graduate intern at the UU-UNO, gives her account of the November 17 United Nations NGO Committee on Children's Rights held at the UN Church Center in New York City. “Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us; Sing a song full of the hope...

By UUA International Resources Staff Group |11/21/2011

Today, We Recognize Universal Children's Day!

"We were all children once. And we all share the desire for the well-being of our children, which has always been and will continue to be the most universally cherished aspiration of humankind." Excerpt from We the Children: End-decade review of the follow-up to the World Summit...

By UUA International Resources Staff Group |11/20/2011

UUs Join the UU-UNO in Celebrating UN Sunday

In celebration of the founding of the UN on October 24th, 1945, the UU-UNO invites congregations and individual UUs to deepen their understanding of the United Nations by devoting one service in October to reaffirming the connections between UU principles and vital issues dealt...

By UUA International Resources Staff Group |11/18/2011

International U-U Leaders Visit Boston

It was an honor for the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) to host an International Council of Unitarians and Universalists (ICUU) Tent Summit for the 5 largest U/U groups around the world in Boston from November 6-10, 2011. Present for the meeting were representatives...

By Eric Cherry |11/18/2011

Celebrate Universal Children’s Day and the ECOC Program!

Universal Children’s Day Sunday, November 20th Involve your congregation in observing Universal Child’s Day! Marking the day on which the Assembly adopted the both the Declaration and the Convention on the Right of the Child (1959 & 1989, respectively), Universal Child’s Day...

By UUA International Resources Staff Group |11/14/2011

Get To Know the Every Child Is Our Child (ECOC) Students!

In the next few weeks, the UU-UNO will feature a child that receives access to education, school supplies and health care through the ECOC Program. Meet Jessica! Jessica is a 13-year-old girl who studies at Okwenya School located in Manya Krobo, Ghana. Jessica’s father contacted...

By UUA International Resources Staff Group |11/9/2011

Climate Change and Forced Migration

The following post was written by Guy Quinlan. He is a member of UU-UNO Climate Change Task Force and attends All Souls Church in New York City. CLIMATE CHANGE AND FORCED MIGRATION In February 2010 the US Defense Department reported that “climate-related changes are already...

By UUA International Resources Staff Group |11/8/2011

Introducing Kye Flannery, UUA International Office Intern

I’ve been pretty darn lucky this year. For one thing, I’ve just started interning at the International Resources Office at the UUA. I’ve also had opportunities to visit Mexico, Bangladesh and Haiti, so I’ve gotten to ask a lot of questions about what responsible, long-term...

By UUA International Resources Staff Group |11/3/2011

Servetus: Heretic and Hero

Cross-posted from Beyond Belief , UUA President Peter Morales’s blog. Imagine that an unknown 20-year-old were to write a book today taking issue with some point of religious doctrine, basing his arguments on his interpretation of texts in Hebrew, Greek and Latin. I doubt anyone...

By Peter Morales |11/1/2011

Speaking of Servetus

Cross-posted from Beyond Belief , UUA President Peter Morales's blog. I have just arrived in Spain to participate in a conference in honor of the 500th anniversary of the birth of Michael Servetus (or, as the Spaniards name him, Miguel Servet). Organized by the Michael Servetus...

By Peter Morales |10/27/2011

IARF Japan Delegation Visits UUA

On Saturday October 22, a delegation of twenty-three International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF) members hailing from Japan visited the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) for the day. Leading the group on an East Coast tour was the former chairman of Rissho...

By Nicole McConvery |10/27/2011

Climate Change and their Refugees

“Environmental refugees” refers to the people who are forced to migrate from or flee their home region due to sudden or long-term changes to their local environment. These conditions can include increased droughts , desertification , sea level rise , and disruption of seasonal...

Another History-Making Month: UUA United Nations Office Monthly Report for October

We began the month with the opening of the UN General Assembly under intense security. The street where we work (44th street) was blocked by police and the only way we were allowed entry was by showing our UN badges. There were snipers on the roof of the UN, helicopters in the...

By Bruce Knotts |10/19/2011

UN Sunday Readings

Get pumped for UN Sunday this month! Each week we have posted readings that you can use in your UN Sunday service focusing on this year's theme: Empower Women for a Better World. This week is the last in our series of UN Sunday Readings . This weeks reading is a meditation story...

By UUA International Resources Staff Group |10/19/2011

UU Led UN LGBT Consultation Agrees To Next Steps

In the Spring of 2009, Human Rights Watch called the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office and said that fundamentalist ministers and politicians were inflaming homophobic hatred in Uganda. Human Rights Watch asked the UU-UNO to form a coalition of progressive faith...

By Bruce Knotts |10/14/2011

A Seminarian's Experience at Tsubaki Grand Shrine

Christian Schmidt is a third year UU seminarian at Andover Newton Theological School. In August 2011 he was the recipient of the UUA's Tsubaki Grand Shrine Scholarship. Tsubaki Grand Shrine is an ancient Shinto shrine in Suzuka, Japan, and an historic interfaith partner of the...

By Eric Cherry |10/6/2011

UU-UNO Interns Share Their Impressions of the United Nations General Assembly

The UU United Nations Office ( UU-UNO ) is fortunate to have formal relationships with the graduate schools of social work at Fordham University, Columbia University and our latest addition, New York University. It is always an exciting time to meet our new interns and begin to...

By Bruce Knotts |10/5/2011

Incredible Support for the UU Holdeen India Program

Derek Mitchell, the new Director of the UU Holdeen India Program (UUHIP), shares the following update: During August and September, friends of the UU Holdeen India Program (UUHIP) have shown incredible support for the work of our partners. An Uplifting Musical Contribution On...

By Derek Mitchell |9/21/2011

Why Confrontation Now at the UN?

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), the UUA's strategic partner on Israel/Palestine issues, is a coalition of 24 national Church denominations (including the UUA) and organizations that helps church organizations, leaders and individuals effectively advocate for justice and...

By UUA International Resources Staff Group |9/21/2011

Take the UN Flag Out of the Closet: UUA United Nations Office Monthly Report for September

This is the first of a regular series of monthly reports that Bruce Knotts, the Director of the UU United Nations Office (UU-UNO), will be providing to constituents. Look for future reports on or around the 15th of the month. Contributions to support the work of the UU-UNO are...

By Bruce Knotts |9/16/2011

UU Marches in Solidarity With Bolivian Indigenous Community

Since August 15, 2011, more than 1,500 Bolivian indigenous men, women, and children have embarked on a 350-mile trek, from the Amazonian lowlands of Trinidad to the highlands of La Paz, in opposition of a national highway construction project that would cut through a protected...

By Nicole McConvery |9/15/2011

Events

Unitarians of Bujumbura, Burundi Dedicate New Church Home

Despite usual hardships and renewed political tensions in the country, Sunday, August 21st was a joyful day in Bujumbura, Burundi, as the Assemblée des chrétiens unitariens du Burundi (ACUB) dedicated its brand new church building (the first UU church built in East Africa) and...

By Eric Cherry |9/13/2011

Welcome to Ghana: You Are Invited!

Beginning August 5, 2011, Erik Mohn, UUA Young Adult Spirituality & Service Consultant, began a 24-day journey to Ghana where he volunteered in a health clinic, a school, and an orphanage through Amizade, a global service learning organization. Here he reflects on the...

By UUA International Resources Staff Group |9/8/2011

Ugandan Cabinet Won't Bring the Kill-the-Gays Bill to a Vote

The UUA learned on August 23rd, that the Ugandan Cabinet has decided not to allow the infamous anti-homosexuality bill to be voted on by Parliament. David Bahati, the parliament member who authored the legislation, vowed to bring the bill back in November, according to media...